SOUTH LYON, Mich. (WXYZ) — Grace Tiefel removes her cochlear implants before every match, steps onto the mat, and gets to work.
The 8-year-old South Lyon wrestler is deaf, but inside the gym, she says her focus is unmatched.
See the full story from South Lyon reporter Christiana Ford below
"It's like when I'm wrestling my mind is empty but sometimes there's music in my head," Grace said.
"I have a ability to just like zoom in and be focused when I'm wrestling," she said.
Rather than relying on sound, Grace uses what she can see and feel during competition.
"I feel like I just want to beat them and I think about moments when I'm mad," she said.
Steve Richardson, a coach with 16 years of experience at Michigan Matcats Wrestling Club in South Lyon, said Grace has been defying barriers since she first walked into the gym at age 5.
"We do everything we can not to make it a big deal and neither does she," Richardson said.
He said her deafness has pushed her to develop skills that set her apart from other wrestlers.
"We show the move, we talk about the move, we demonstrate the move and then we have a few kids do it. Well Grace is missing part of that where she may not hear it all the time but she's got some super human powers right. She understands body language better than anybody. She understands tone, she can see things that other people can't see and she's been able to develop those other skills probably better than anybody else," Richardson said.
Richardson said watching Grace has had an impact beyond her own performance.
"Watching Grace really not worry on what she doesn't have and focus on what she does helps a lot of kids in our program and kids in the sport," Richardson said.
Grace's nana, Mary Efimoff, introduced her to wrestling and said the sport has given Grace far more than she expected.
"She didn't have a lot of friends. She had her friends at deaf and a neighbor or two. She didn't have a community," Efimoff said.
"Just the confidence she has, the community she has, the friends she has now, she feels like she belongs," she said.
Efimoff said she hopes Grace's story reaches others who may need that same encouragement.
"I want grace to be that inspiration for girls, for deaf girls for anyone to know that they can do a sport like this and succeed in it with no limitations," Efimoff said.
Grace has big goals ahead, including competing in the Deaf Olympics one day. She said her message to others is simple.
"To be the best wrestler in the world," she said.
"Keep on trying. You may not win all the time but you have a future ahead of you," Grace said.
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